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Lawn mowers and a snow thrower from Toro, as well as a residential riding mower from John Deere were up for auction Tuesday to help the Caledonia School District in Michigan reduce its $2.3 million budget deficit. A Toro Groundsmaster riding mower fetched $1,000 and a John Deere mower garnered $261.

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Toro's Groundsmaster 4700-D was a good choice for Bremerton Parks and Recreation Department in Washington, providing a fast, even cut with less manpower, said Parks Supervisor Steve Mutek. The "state-of-the-art," $79,258 mower has seven decks and mows a swath about 12 feet wide. Mutek notes the mower will free up employees to work on other tasks.

Lawn mowers from Troy-Bilt, Craftsman, John Deere, Honda, Husqvarna, Toro, Snapper and Poulan are among the top models of 2015, according to this Popular Mechanics review. The Husqvarna 7021R is "power, pure power," while Honda's HRX2172VKA "leaves a velvet finish" due to its dual blade and domed deck. The review also praised Toro's "top-to-bottom attention to detail."

2015 is expected to be good year for adoption of propane-powered mowers as contractors now have at least 135 models to choose from, writes Jeremy Wishart, deputy director of business development for the Propane Education & Research Council. "Most importantly, propane mowers are not just available in zero-turn models. Wide-area walk-behind and stand-on mowers powered by propane are now available," he writes. Kohler, Exmark, Toro, John Deere, Gravely and Wright are among the manufacturers now offering propane options.

A new "Toro Groundsmaster 5910 wide-area mower" will be purchased by the Bay City Commission in Mich. to help it cut down on maintenance costs. The city's current 12-year-old lawn mower, a "2002 Toro Groundsmaster 580D," has almost 5,000 hours of use and has outlasted its life expectancy by four years. The new mower will service on 135 acres of city parks and several miles of grass beside a trail.

Auto Specialties Manufacturing Co., known as Ausco, had to reinvent itself after the auto industry shrank in the 1980s. The brake manufacturer currently makes brakes for all types of off-road vehicles -- but not for cars. Ausco brakes can be found in Toro Co. riding lawn mowers, as well as John Deere and Caterpillar equipment.